Leicester capitalise on Warnock uncertainty

If this was Neil Warnock's valedictory performance six days short of six years as Sheffield United's manager, then it was a disappointing one. But a legacy of a nine-point lead for the play-off places sees the club he supported as a boy remarkably well placed to secure promotion to the Premiership at the 12th time of asking.

The worry, of course, is that Warnock may take a couple of the better players with him if he goes to Portsmouth, plus some of his coaching staff, and although the manager is adamant that he will be on the training ground this morning preparing for Saturday's derby, the uncertainty seems to have got through to his players. "We want the gaffer to stay and he knows that, and I think he wants to stay himself, but obviously it's got to be difficult when the right offer comes along," said the captain Phil Jagielka, like the manager out of contract in the summer.

"I'd love the gaffer to stay but I'm in a different situation. I'm just starting out on my career and he's coming to the end of his. There's no situation for us players yet. There will be if he goes but if he stays there's not. We've not really talked about it; there's no point. We see him as our manager for the foreseeable future. Until he decides otherwise, or the board decides, we'll keep playing for him."

They did not start until it was too late on Saturday, however, and Warnock, the sixth longest-serving manager in the country, applauded the United fans at the final whistle before putting a consoling arm around the last of his players as they went into the tunnel. Twenty minutes later he came out firing, although he refused to elaborate on that day's working breakfast with Kevin McCabe other than to reveal that the plc chairman opted for cheese on toast while he went for marmalade. Nor did he take the opportunity to rule himself out of the running for the Pompey job.

"We weren't ready for Leicester. Three and a half thousand of our supporters were here today and we disappointed them although we gave it a go in the second half. We made Leicester look like Real Madrid in the first," he said. "We cannot let the fans down against Wednesday next week. I will be at the training ground on Monday preparing, and I won't need to motivate the players like I did today."

Craig Levein was not complaining after a difficult 12 months rebuilding Leicester. With his leaden-footed striker Mark de Vries recovering from illness and on the bench, the Scot fielded a more mobile pairing of Elvis Hammond and Iain Hume and was rewarded when they combined for the first goal and then saw the midfielder Ryan Smith, on loan from Arsenal, head in his first senior goal from a cross by Hume.

It was the first time Leicester had led by two goals this season and the manager admitted that the speculation about Warnock had probably helped his side. "A team which had been focused from the start of the season all of a sudden have something else on their mind," he said, but he was correct to point out that his team were good value for the lead.

Warnock introduced his top scorer Steve Kabba for the second half and he promptly pulled one back but Hammond had a couple of decent chances snuffed out by Paddy Kenny before the former Fulham trainee finally finished with a low shot into the corner. Hume then fired the clincher into the roof of the net in injury-time and another United substitute, Craig Short, headed in what may have been one of the last goals of the Warnock era.

"Our confidence is still sky-high," said Jagielka. "The gaffer's put a great team together and all the coaching staff. There's a lot of ifs and buts but if anything does happen [with Warnock] I'm sure we've got the squad to deal with it."

Man of the match: Iain Hume

Busy and skilful in partnership with Elvis Hammond, Hume gave the Blades' defence problems on his recall.

Best moment The Canadian's assist for Ryan Smith's goal, when he found space on the right and beat a couple of defenders before firing in a neat cross which the Arsenal loanee headed home from close range.